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The Center for Sales Strategy Blog

Deborah Fulghum

Deborah Fulghum

As a Senior Talent Analyst for The Center for Sales Strategy, Deborah helps companies identify top talent, develop natural strengths, and coach teams to utilize their talents for success. As someone addicted to positive cultures, she is also on the Up Your Culture team, where she coaches managers to improve employee engagement and elevate company culture.

Recent Posts by Deborah Fulghum:

A Key Piece in Successful Employee Engagement

Employee EngagementAs a sales manager, do you expect your sellers to conduct a Client Needs Analysis routinely with their clients? I’m sure you do. Because you know that customer needs change all the time. What a client focuses on this quarter may vary in the next. The only way to know their goals is to ask regularly.

That same focus on uncovering needs and goals applies to those you manage as well, as it leads to greater loyalty and retainment of your staff. How often do you take time to ask each person on your team what they want in their job, what they need from you, from the company?  Wouldn’t it be nice to know these things so that you can engage, develop, and retain them?

Become a Sales Scout!

Baseball

Do you love baseball? I do. As this season winds down and teams head to the playoffs, I am already thinking of next spring and the first pitch. I always wait with anticipation to see how the team will perform every year. Will we have a winning season and make the playoffs in the fall? Do we have the right players to be a winning team?

Topics: Sales

How to Cast the Net for Millennial Salespeople

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In an article in Time Magazine describing the new generation of workers, many summarizations were made. Here are a few quotes from that article: “They are thought of as the entitlement, me, me, me generation,” “Want to postpone growing up,” “Overly sensitive at best and lazy at worst.”

Sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Which generation do you think this article was about? You may be quick to jump on Millennials for your answer, but you would be wrong! This article was written about 16-year-olds and is dated from a 1990 Time issue on Generation X!

Every older generation views the younger ones with that “What is up with the kids these days?” mindset. Scary to say, but you have become your parents! Millennials are the new YOU!

We hear that word often, but who exactly are Millennials? Let’s look at a quick breakout of your workforce by category:

Topics: Sales

Are You Set Up to Recruit Top Talent?

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I’m in the midst of touring colleges with my son. There are so many choices and great things about all the schools. There are the big SEC football schools, schools in college towns and big cities, large campuses and small. So how will he choose? Finding the right fit when you are a senior in high school seems like such a concrete and monstrous decision.

The same can be true when graduating from college and looking for a job. What do millennials look for when searching for their “perfect” job? Many articles have been written about what they are searching for—collaborative work environments, recognition, opportunities for growth, flexible hours and a purpose to name a few. How does your company stand out to this group?

Topics: hiring salespeople Sales

How to Help Your Salespeople Burn Strong, Not Burn Out

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As managers, we want to get everything we can out of our sales team. The harder they work, the more they will deliver, right? What if we looked at our sales teams differently? What if we asked instead, "What can we do to see results and stay on target, while keeping our team happy and ready to take on more?"

Topics: developing strengths Sales

Be a Coach on the Sales Voice!

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In an earlier post, we talked about being a judge on the Sales Voice and how to listen for great talent. Now let’s talk about coaching on the Sales Voice. 

So you decided to push your button and turned your chair. Now what?!

Topics: Sales

Be a Judge on The Sales Voice!

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How do you know when you have the perfect candidate for a sales position? Is it their stellar resume? Do they look professional? Do they come highly recommended? That is what most managers look for when hiring. It’s the way it has always been done, right? 

What if you looked at hiring for your next sales position differently? Pretend for a moment that you are Blake Shelton or Adam Levine on The Voice and your chair is completely turned around. Now what?

Topics: Sales